‘Jackass’ star Ryan Dunn died in a car crash early this morning

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I’ve never seen any of the Jackass movies, but I did occasionally watch the show when it was MTV, so I have a vague idea of who Ryan Dunn was. Honestly, though, many of the Jackass guys blur together in one vomitous streak. Anyway, very early this morning, Ryan Dunn died in a car crash in Pennsylvania. He was 34 years old, and there was another person in the car who died as well:

Ryan Dunn, famous for his fearless off-the-wall stunts on MTV’s Jackass, died in a car crash Monday morning in West Goshen Township, Pa. He was 34.

The car crash occurred at 3 a.m. on Route 322 and New Street, and Dunn was with an unidentified passenger, who also died in the accident, police confirm to PEOPLE. It is unknown who was driving.

The car caught on fire, and a tow truck was later sent to the scene to pick up the wreckage.

Costar Bam Margera’s mother broke the news to Philadelphia rock station WMMR 93.3.

By Monday morning, Dunn’s name was trending on Twitter, and celebs and fans alike were mourning the loss of the veteran daredevil, who earned laughs for the antics he pulled off with Margera, Steve-O and the rest of the Jackass crew – such as a famous golf cart crash in Jackass: The Movie.

“I’m very Sad and Shocked to hear about Ryan Dunn,” friend and Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden Tweeted. “My thoughts&Prayers are with his Family.”

Brody Jenner also shared his condolences, Tweeting, “Just heard about Ryan Dunn… So sad.. #RIPRYANDUNN.”

Dunn, who also starred in MTV’s Viva La Bam and Homewrecker, Tweeted a picture of himself drinking an unknown beverage with two friends before the accident early Monday morning.

[From People]

When I first heard that someone from Jackass had died, my first thought was “Was it because of one of their insane stunts?” If you told me he died going down Niagara Falls in a Port-O-Potty, I would have said “Sure, that makes sense.” But to hear that it was just the run-of-the-mill car crash? Hm… of course, many are saying that Ryan was probably drunk. Just a few hours before the fatal car accident, Ryan tweeted a photo of himself and two friends, all of whom seemed to be drinking (you can see the photo here). If that’s the case, I’m grateful that they didn’t crash into another car or some innocent bystander. In any case though, our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

UPDATE: TMZ reports that Dunn was the driver, and different sources have different takes on his alcohol consumption last night. Some say that he was drinking, but not drunk, others say that he was really wasted. As far as the reports that this is just a Jackass-type stunt and that he’s not really dead… I don’t know. I think it’s for real, but who knows?

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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64 Responses to “‘Jackass’ star Ryan Dunn died in a car crash early this morning”

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  1. jc126 says:

    So sad. RIP.

  2. AlaskaJoey says:

    Such a waste of a life, although if he was driving drunk – what a moron, and we can only be glad he didn’t take out anybody else in another car. I was just thinking about him yesterday – don’t know why he popped into my head.

    I always thought he was the cutest one – line up the other guys next to him and he looks like a supermodel. He seemed like the most normal and stable of all of them, too. RIP Ryan.

  3. Mairead says:

    I just heard about this. I avoided Jackass like the plague, but I did watch “Viva la Bam” and I liked Dunn on that programme. Apart from April, he was the only likable one on it. I can’t condone drink-driving, but I am sorry to hear about this stupid and senseless loss of life. Thank God there were no more fatalities. My sympathies to his family.

  4. Gigi says:

    I agree that he did endanger himself and others a lot, but your post seems unneccessarily harsh… The dude just died. It wouldn’t hurt to be a little more sympathetic.

    Just sayin’. Love the site and don’t mean to be a hater.

  5. Isabel says:

    A loss of life sucks no matter what. I, too, liked him the most out of that crew.

    However…SOMEBODY was driving at an extremely high rate of speed in the dead of night. And he appeared to be drunk (per usual) shortly beforehand. We can all do the math. Thank God they didn’t wipe anybody else out.

  6. RHONYC says:

    i just watched Jackass during my holidays. i never wanted to & finally my fiancé convinced me. i surprisingly enjoyed it.
    this is fuggin sad. 🙁

  7. greencardigan says:

    Sad like the 23 year old police officer who died on duty that we are burying this week? I don’t think so especially if he was drunk.

  8. Dunn was definitely one of the more likable guys on the show. He always seemed more laid back and agreeable than his co-stars – a guy you’d like to have a beer with. Sad to see that beer was probably part of the problem.

  9. Lizzie says:

    I don’t know why this news irrationally upset me. I think it was because me and brother literally grew up with these guys (we were like 10 when jackass started…and yeah…we shouldn’t have been watching it…but EVERYONE was watching it)…I’m 20 now and it just upset me that this happened. You just always assumed those guys would be there, that there was air of invincibility about them.
    He was always my favourite out of those guys, maybe because he was the one who would say “ok…seriously…this is too dangerous”.
    I know he was probably drink driving, and yeah that was supremely dumb, but it’s still upsetting.
    And if anyone has seen the pictures of his car…then….my god. no one deserves what happened. It was horrific.
    RIP.

  10. neema says:

    Just look at that picture he posted on twitter.

    He wasn’t just drunk, he was more than a few over the line. He didn’t even look like he could sit up straight anymore.

  11. lilibet1 says:

    I’ve been reading lots of reports that this is a hoax for filming of the new Jackass film…hmmmmmm…

    If it’s true then it’s very sad but if it’s not then what a jackass!!

  12. bluhare says:

    @greencardigan: Way to put some judgment on someone’s death. If I was as unfeeling as you, I could probably top your “better” death statement, but I won’t. ANy death is sad. Including this one.

  13. wonderwoman21 says:

    Yeah it’s upsetting for the people who grew up on Jackass, I’m one of them. Really brings in the feeling of mortality. RIP Ryan Dunn, my thoughts are with his family and friends.

  14. Sakyiwaa says:

    saaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

  15. Derpy says:

    Dunn, and others (like Bam) were originally from cKy (Camp Kill Yourself), before Knoxville ruined it all.

    This also makes me so so sad :

  16. DailyNightly says:

    Anyone find it odd that Bam Margera’s mother is the one announcing this news and not a family member or business manager?

  17. Elizabeth says:

    Very sad and unfortunate and apparently unnecessary. People who tweet boozy photos and are shortly after killed in single vehicle car accidents at 3 am are usually driving drunk. Have all the fun you want, people, but just get a taxi home! All this can be avoided.

  18. samab says:

    greencard what an inopportune comment

  19. Delta Juliet says:

    I don’t know….it is always sad when someone dies young. But I just can’t feel bad for people who do this kind of stupid shit anymore. If you are drunk and you drive, you can very likely kill yourself. Unfortunately these situations often result in some innocent bystanders getting killed. Thankfully in this case, that didn’t happen. When you make bad decisons, bad things can happen. I mean, the guy was 34 for crying out loud. It’s not like he didn’t know.

  20. Bill Hicks is God says:

    Apparently there was a passenger who was killed as well but their identity hasn’t been released at this point.

  21. Amanda G says:

    @Isabel – Actually, he did “wipe someone else out”…there was a passenger in his car who also died.

    Very sad. He seemed like a nice guy. I really thought one of these guys would die from a stunt, not from something like this.

    It makes me wonder about the bar he was partying at. Why did they allow him to drive home? Or maybe he wasn’t drunk, but driving recklessly.

  22. cracker says:

    It’s not sad. All you people who think it’s sad because you “grew up with him” watching that stupid, brainless show? Give me a f’ing break! You wanna know what is sad? Being 15 and having your friend killed in a head on collision by a drunk driver as she is driving home from the beach on a Sunday afternoon. Try growing up with that.

    Screw this guy.

  23. Snazzy says:

    Yeah, he was driving drunk, but who are we to pass judgement? Like some people are saying, at least he didn’t take more people with him. At the end of the day, he’s somebody’s son, brother, grandchild, nephew, etc. Show some damn compassion, no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Unfortunately for Ryan, it’s a mistake that cost him his life.

  24. the original bellaluna says:

    Okay, this is getting toxic. If you don’t feel bad for him and his family and friends, at least have the decency to feel bad for HIS PASSENGER and his/her family and friends. Honestly, is compassion a rationed emotion now?

    @ cracker – I don’t watch. Never have. And I don’t know when (what decade) you were a teen; but I lost a few friends in Jr High & High School to drunk driving – not my friends doing the drunk driving. I also had a friend who was a cheerleader & in pageantry who lost movement in her left leg/foot due to being hit by a drunk driver. I still have compassion. Any loss of life (except child molesters and rapists) is sad.

  25. Lady D says:

    Drinking and driving is not a mistake. It is a choice. Own it. How many more have to die oh so stupidly?

  26. REALIST says:

    Oh my God! I know nothing about this man, but what a tragedy and what an awful way to go.
    Condolences to his family and friends.
    The autopsy will show what his alcohol levels were, so let’s not rush to judgment.

  27. kelbear says:

    He posted a photo to his twitter of him drinking with friends earlier in the night.

  28. Violet says:

    Such a waste.

    When will people learn? It’s never, ever safe to drive under the influence.

  29. Holly:) says:

    So I heard about this earlier during the day, in fact when I finished school. I had no idea who the guy was, but apparently it was all a set-up you know the whole death/car crash thing, its something to do with the new Jackass film, Jackass 4. Well thats what has been said all over my Facebook homepage and on few cases on my Twitter timeline, anyway..If he is passed away then R.I.P!

  30. hmmhmm says:

    I just saw him on minute to win it this past week. Steve-o really got his life together and I thought the same about Dunn since both looked great.

  31. Anonymous says:

    R.I.P ryan

  32. WhiteNoise says:

    Drink-driving, speeding, whatever, it’s still a really tragic waste of 2 lives. And that’s all their famililies and friends will be focused on, this horribly abrupt and premature loss.

    RIP.

  33. Launicaangelina says:

    People have the ability to make tons of choices everyday but most of the time, they have very little control over the consequences of those choices.

    It’s sad what happened. I knew a couple people who were drunk driving and died. Their deaths created a large ripple because they didn’t consider the worse case scenario.

  34. Pyewacket says:

    How ridiculous that people think this is a hoax for filming a Jackass movie. There is nothing funny about someone “dying” in a fiery car crash and doing it probably while they are drunk. Furthermore, police and coroners would most certainly not go along with it. There were police investigators looking at the crash site, taking measurements, etc. It is a real accident, with very real consequences for people who drive drunk.

  35. j.h says:

    he was a great film star! As I’m sure he was a great person! And all of the bad comments posted on here about his death is saddening! I hope he will watch over the jackass crew and all of his friends! My husband and I watch every jackass episode there is and every movie they have come out with and anything featuring any of the guys! He will truly be missed!

  36. Audrey says:

    I feel sorry for his passenger. And his Porsche.

  37. justanotherperson says:

    HI! My name is Ryan Dunn and this this “Drunk Driving!”

  38. kwoww says:

    He drank and decided to get behind he wheel. Im a fan of jackass, but this dude only did this to himself. I feel bad for the family he left behind.

  39. khaveman says:

    Alcohol? Car malfunction? Speeding? Blowout? We’ll never know. It’s a tragedy. RIP.

  40. Pyewacket says:

    Actually we do know he was drinking, based on the picture he Tweeted earlier in the evening, and by eye witness reports. A blow out can easily be determined by the tire remnants left on the road and from what I have read the only thing they have found are skid marks. State police, based on measurements of skid marks leading to impact can most certainly determine if the person was speeding or not, so after the investigation is completed they will be able to see what happened.

    Also, given the fact that it was in the wee hours of the morning, he was drinking and owned a Porsche plus a member of the Jackass team, we can petty much assume that speed and alcohol played a part more so than a car malfunction, unless you want to classify driving under the influence a major malfunction.

  41. bosc says:

    “who are we to pass judgement?”

    We’re people who CHOOSE to not drive drunk, and people who CHOOSE to behave responsibly. Judgment? (that’s spelled with only one E, BTW) — yeah, I reserve the right to judge in this circumstance. He was stupid and my only sympathy is for his family and the family of the passenger he took along with him.

  42. Crystalline says:

    Such a stupid, easily avoidable death. Its terrible that he made an awful choice, even worse that someone else also suffered the consequences of it. Sad loss all around and thank god there weren’t more deaths than this because it could’ve been so much worse.

  43. MeriJaan says:

    Live by the sword, die by the sword. Waste of a life. RIP.

  44. gee says:

    I agree with Crystalline, well said. It is so sad, he made such a poor choice and now he’s dead because of it.

    Lets not be mean here; his family and his passengers family are probably suffering so much because he made a stupid decision and paid for it with his life. I do not speak ill of the dead. This is a sad thing and not really the place to pass judgement.

  45. Wif says:

    This sort of thing just makes me so angry. Don’t drink and drive. My prayers to their family and friends.

  46. AsheNDust says:

    This is just so sad. I was fortunate enough, while in college, to get to hang out with him and Bam for a bit. He was the sweetest guy… had the BIGGEST crush on him. Rest in peace Ryan

  47. Kyle says:

    yup he did it to himself no pitty here

  48. Anonymous says:

    he was my huge fan and he was so funny on jackass i wish this thing didnt happen to him

  49. Laura says:

    well don’t drink and drive. Like it’s been said, it was his choice to do so, and his actions killed not only himself, but another passenger.

  50. sarah says:

    DAMN, anonymous #1, what a disgusting, cold-hearted masochistic thing to say. I also grew up watching jackass, viva, etc; I always thought he was probably the most sensible, and the most relatable. Can’t remember who said it up top, but yeah, really brings in the feeling of mortality.

  51. AlyG says:

    Anyone else hear that he was faking his own death to get footage for their next film? Rumors are springing up on FB..

  52. sarah says:

    And, sorry; bosc, judgement/judgment- it can be spelled either way. This disturbed me as a child, as I love spelling, so I endeavored to find out. Also, will you pass such harsh judgement on family members or friends if they make such a thoughtless choice, god forbid? Probably not.

  53. Dizzybenny says:

    I’m supposed to feel something about a guy that his job was getting hit in the sack for a living?that died driving drunk?It’s not a waist of life it a waist of blog space.

  54. Nikki Girl says:

    This is really sad. I’m sad for Ryan’s family and the whole CKY family. I’m sure Bam and his family are devastated, Ryan was basically another son to April and Phil.

  55. Nicky says:

    “Judgment? (that’s spelled with only one E, BTW)”.

    @bosc, before directing a snarky comment at another person’s post, I would suggest you brush up on your orthographic knowledge. You can spell it both ways.

  56. Lisa says:

    Rest in Pieces..you big fat Jackass you…

  57. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    Clarence Clemons has also passed away.

  58. pieces_of_shit says:

    Most of u people really fuckin suck BTW ….. a life lost is a life lost its sad nobody said its cool IF he was drunk or IF he was driving but it doesn’t make it ok for u skumy ass people to knock a dead dude how lame for real… oh and BTW I went to the bar the other day to watch a band and was there til 2am also had a lil red drink n my hand…. I’m pregnant and don’t drink so FU eye witness accounts?? Yea cause people don’t lie for attention

  59. pieces_of_shit says:

    My lil red drink was a Shirley timple lol maybe he likes cherries …. Rest In Paradise

  60. keke says:

    R.I.P
    Hope you have fun in the big gates.
    Stay narly

  61. Anonymous says:

    I don’t understand why rich people can’t affort to get a cab when they’re drunk…No excuses!

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